The Calgary Flames and Jacob Markstrom appear to be going through a fairly nasty divorce.
After rumours that the Vezina-calibre goaltender was involved in serious trade talks with multiple teams around the 2024 NHL trade deadline, Markstrom was quick to lash out at Flames management complaining about how the situation was handled.
As Markstrom has a full no-move clause in his contract, he has full control over where he plays, and felt slighted by management through the process.
Ultimately, Markstrom was not traded at the deadline, and proceeded to post quite terrible numbers for the Flames down the stretch.
At the end of the season during his exit interviews with the media, Markstrom was curt when asked about the trade situation and his future with the team, causing speculation that he may have played his last game as a member of the Flames.
Recent reports indicated that looks like the case.
Flames and Devils appear to have reengaged trade talks
On the most recent episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, Friedman talked about the Markstrom situation and dropped quite the bomb:
Calgary is trying to do this as quietly as possible.
There’s definitely something going on. New Jersey, Fitzgerald’s on record as saying he will consider moving his 10th overall pick and I know a lot of people are looking at in goal.
The thing about Markstrom in trading for him, he’s basically a 2x$6M player you’re trading for. If your choice is trading for a goalie, especially him, with that contract, or going out and signing someone in free agency that might be a bigger number, you’re very happy to take that. I can understand why there’d be a lot of interest in Markstrom.
Obviously a lot of people are suspecting New Jersey, and there’s a few teams that suspect Toronto and Ottawa as well.
The Devils’ GM talking about the 10th overall pick at this point just makes too much sense. The Devils need one more piece to be a playoff contender and that’s a goalie. Markstrom’s pedigree, contract situation, and acquisition cost line up so well for the Devils, and it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see these two teams finally get a deal done.
Markstrom may have requested a trade
Further complicating matters but corroborating a few points that Friedman made in the podcast was a recent interview between Sportsnet 960’s Flames Talk and goaltending guru Kevin Woodley.
Woodley is the inside man on almost every goaltender in the NHL and is very connected to Markstrom. He had this to say about the situation:
In the past couple weeks or so, people who are close to [Markstrom’s] camp and would know, I just think the ship has sailed on that. As a matter of fact, I think the Flames know there is no intention of coming back. Obviously they control his future, but I believe that request has been made, that he wants to play somewhere else, preferably for a team that has a chance to compete.
There’s a reason his name is out there and it’s not just because it was out there at the trade deadline, it’s out there because I don’t believe he has any intention of playing for the Calgary Flames again.
This supports the report that the Flames are trying to do things as quietly as possible. With how much noise there was around Markstrom at the trade deadline and him being asked to waive his NMC more than once without a trade being completed, it makes sense that the Flames and Markstrom both want this to be done as quietly as they can.
It also makes sense that if Markstrom has no intentions of coming back for the Flames, that trade talks are heating up.
A potential bidding war for Markstrom
On the 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman also discusses a couple other teams that have interest in Markstrom, indicating there could be multiple bidders to acquire him this offseason.
A couple of other teams I wonder about there too, Toronto, and I know deals between Toronto and Calgary are kind of complicated, but the GM in Toronto is the guy who signed Markstrom in Calgary, and just on paper a Markstrom [Joseph] Woll combination is a pretty good combination. I look at that and say I could see why a team like Toronto would be interested in that potentially.
The other team that I think is in on almost every goalie conversation is Ottawa. Now I don’t know how Markstrom feels about that.
As the Flames enter a retooling period, offloading their suddenly problem star goalie makes too much sense. Let these three teams, and whoever else, fight it out, and hopefully Craig Conroy can walk away with a nice collection of assets in return.
